PPP Chairman Summons CEC Meeting Amid Coalition Tensions

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has called for a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) on October 18, a Saturday, against the backdrop of increasing friction with their coalition partner, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

According to a statement released on Wednesday, the CEC, which serves as the PPP’s primary decision-making body, will engage in discussions regarding significant political developments and strategize the party’s future course of action.

Origin of the Rift

The discord between the two allied parties in the government initially surfaced concerning the allocation of flood relief funds via the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). Relations were further strained when Punjab’s Chief Minister, Maryam Nawaz, leveled accusations against unnamed parties, alleging their exploitation of the flood-related devastation in Punjab for political advantages.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, a prominent PPP leader and former Speaker of the National Assembly, led a walkout from the assembly on October 6, declaring that the party would suspend its participation in the proceedings until Punjab’s ministers offered clarifications regarding their statements pertaining to Sindh.

Offers of Support and Mediation Efforts

In the midst of this escalating dispute, Asad Qaiser, a leader from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), extended an offer of collaboration to the PPP, proposing the possibility of submitting a motion of no confidence in the National Assembly.

Rana Sanaullah, the Prime Minister’s advisor on political affairs, expressed his belief that the prevailing tensions would ease upon direct discussions involving key figures such as Asif Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif, and Nawaz Sharif.

Sanaullah further commented that the recent press addresses made by PPP Chairman Bilawal were deemed objectionable, as they appeared to suggest shortcomings in the governance of the Punjab government.

“His statements were not well-received by the Chief Minister of Punjab,” Sanaullah stated, adding that Maryam felt it was her duty to address any questioning of the province’s governance.

Conversely, PPP’s Qamar Zaman Kaira clarified that his party’s issues were specifically with the PML-N, rather than the federal government as a whole.

The PPP leader described CM Maryam’s remarks as ‘unfortunate,’ asserting that responding in a similar manner would only serve to exacerbate the relations between the two parties.

Kaira conveyed his sentiment that an increasingly harsh tone in their dialogue would lead to a deterioration of the relationship between the two allied parties.